To wish there was some way to ban shops from starting their sales on Boxing Day

[Daisysbear]

Yet again, unfortunate shop staff will have to turn up for work at crack of dawn on boxing day to deal with the throngs crowding in for the sales.

Years ago, it was just understood that the shops stayed closed for a couple of days after Christmas. Customers survived forty eight hours away from retail therapy, staff got a proper Christmas break, and we were all forced off the shopping treadmill for a couple of days.

AIBU to wish it was mandatory for all shops (except small corner shops etc selling essentials) to stay closed for at least one day after Christmas to stop all the frenzied buying.

ps I know this wouldn't really work in an increasingly multi-cultural and secular society, but it would just be nice if it could.

I can see how it snowballs. If you said food shops and pharmacies could open, so Tesco could open, but be selling their TVs at half price. So Curry's think, hmm, everyone is buying half price TVs at Tesco, we should be open too. Or Boots is open, being a pharmacy, but are selling their gift sets at half price, so M&S thinks, well, that's not fair, why shouldn't we open too?

I don't go shopping on Boxing Day but that's because I'm fortunate enough to have a family, a warm home, a Sky box and lots of leftover food and drink to enjoy. If I was spending Christmas alone and things were tight, I might well get up and try and bag a bargain or two in the sales.

I cannot think of a single good reason why Maccy D's needs to open on Christmas Day.

Truck drivers? Hungover people? Families on their way to visit relatives? People who would just prefer a Big Mac and a milkshake to a turkey dinner? Shift workers? Homeless people who need somewhere warm to sit for a while?

Not RTFT but I think there is a petition about this on the UK parliament website.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/107166

It has over 23,000 signatures so far. The government will issue a written response and if it gets over 100,000 by 3 March 2016 it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

(I love the petitions pages. Some are hilarious. One is calling for David Cameron to be tried for war crimes.)

It's not just coming in early on Boxing Day for the staff.
I assume some have to work Xmas day to prepare the store and re-ticket items.

I don't think I've been awake at 6 am on Boxing Day,let alone out and shopping!

I work in a large store in town, which is about 30 minutes away from where I live. On Boxing Day I had to get a taxi there and back. Left at 8 didn't get in till after 7 with all the traffic. The cost of the taxi fare was more than half of what I'd actually earnt that day.
Unfortunately, I didn't have an option about working Boxing Day. I had to. So over the Christmas period, I had one day off with my family (xmas day, which I also had to work my hours in for that week, as the company don't actually give it to you as a holiday).

This was made even worse by abusive customers on Boxing Day and the days that followed.

Either Boxing Day is a bank holiday or it isnt. If it is pay retail workers decent wages to reflect that. If Boxing Day is to be treated like just a normal day as some say here then taxi drivers should be stopped from charging time and a half or double time fares. Because the way it is now certain people seem quite happy to have it both ways!

Helena. Bank holidays for many people ( not just retail) are just a normal working day for many people.

I am lucky that my current job is a "traditional " one when it comes to Bank Holidays, but we still open (at normal overtime rates - nothing special) and we have 24/7 cover in case our customers have an urgent need.

People want to live in a 24/7 world these days and part of that means that we need a workforce that is working on days some people don't want to.